ArchiEnvironmental

The curving arcs house by Oshatz

2009-01-04T02:56:00.006+01:00

The Fennell residence is a floating house in Portland, Oregon designed by the architect Robert Oshatz. The imaginative use of curved glue lam beams evoke the poetry of the ripples and contours of a river. The clients likes loft-style living, so they need was no more than a living areas, a kitchen, a master bedroom, a study, guest bed and bath.

The expansive glass facade embraces the river and frames the sunset, and one accesses the deck via an expansive sliding glass door. The master bedroom sits over a study and looks out over the living dining area and out to the river beyond. The curvilinear forms create spacial differentiation that enhance the experience of time as light plays through the daily and
seasonal changes. Oshatz says “For this house I created one curving radius for the full home, then manipulated an s-curve to fit inside that radius,” The resulting interior gives the feeling of being inside a seashell.

More: www.offbeathomes.com, www.oshatz.com

Mill Valley Straw-bale Residence By Arkin - Tilt Architects

Lighthouse UK’s first zero carbon home

2009-01-01T17:30:00.008+01:00

The Lighthouse is the UK’s first ever net zero carbon home that also meets the level 6 of the UK Standard Code for Sustainable Homes. The design has been unveiled at the Offsite 2007 exhibition in Watford. The two-bedroom house is only 93.3 square meters and is insulated to lose 60% less heat than a normal home. The building has solar panels and evacuated solar tubes on its roof, as well as making use of passive measures with ventilation chimneys. It also incorporates rainwater catchment as part of the building design.

The Lighthouse use Kingspan Off-Site’s TEK Building System with a U-value of 0.11W/m2K and excellent levels of airtightness and has been designed to provide generous daylight levels and includes effective solar control.

The building integrate renewable and sustainable technologies designed by Arup. These include water efficiency techniques, such as low volume, sanitary ware and appliances, rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling, as well as renewable energy technologies, including a biomass boiler, building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and a solar-thermal array.

Lighthouse also includes mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), as well as a roof-mounted wind catcher, which provides secure night-time ventilation for passive cooling, in conjunction with thermal mass boards in the ceilings and external shading.

It is a leading example because not only is it made with the most sustainable materials, but is also designed to encourage and shape a more sustainable lifestyle for its occupants.

more : www.kingspanlighthouse.com, www.sheppardrobson.com

ZeroHouse 100% autonomous

The Green on 19 by Jesse Bornsteinis

2008-12-28T22:15:00.007+01:00

The "Green on 19" Project recently completed by the Architect Jesse Bornsteinis a town home project on 19th Street in Santa Monica with environmentally features.

This project was to integrate green technologies and materials within a modern design sensibility on a larger scale to act as a catalyst.

It received a lot of ink for being a very green development, i.e., for having solar panels, low water landscaping, double-sided EcoSmart ethanol burner, high efficiency ac, bamboo cabinetry, dual-glazed windows that provide abundant natural light and ventilation and many other features.

The design with its serial pattern and clean dipartite formal composition capped with semi-transparent bi-facial photovoltaic solar canopies that provide shade for roof decks as well as over 3, 000kwh of electricity generation per year for each unit, these townhomes are made to incite excitement and a sense of optimism for a sustainable future.

Also at the core of each house is an ethanol burning fireplace that is encased in the same FSC-certified bamboo laminate that is used throughout the project for cabinetry and flooring.

Orther features include low flow plumbing equipment and fixtures and 100% drought tolerant landscaping. All rainwater is retained on site for irrigation use and urban runoff mitigation. HVAC equipment exceeds 90% efficiency and uses non-toxic refrigerant.

In addition to its active green features, each townhome has been designed to take the greatest possible advantage of natural light and ventilation.

Project details

* Project Name: Green on 19 Sustainable Townhomes
* Location of Site: Santa Monica, CA, USA
* Design Team: Jesse Bornstein AIA, Myung Jong Lee, David Peartree AIA
* Project Type: Multi-Family Residential
* Site Area: 8000 sf
* Built-up Area: 3959 sf
* Date of completion: March, 2008

Excellent article in the Los Angeles Times

Green Prefabricated Homes By Brio54

The Eco Home Zero Carbon Footprint

2008-12-28T12:32:00.006+01:00

Eco House, residential villa, Benahavis, Spain, 2009

It is called The Eco Home, it is 7000 square feet with a zero carbon footprint and almost zero operating costs. Diseño Earle is an international architecture firm known for unique, and often ecologically minded, projects.
With this beautiful work Diseño Earle set a good standard in the world of Green House. This project will be built in Southern Spain by 2009, with 75% less waste and will operate 80% more efficiently than a similar sized home.

This is one amazing eco-house with the key environmental friendly aspect being the massive solar panels built into the wing like roof. The angle allows the roof integrated solar panels to sit at the optimum angle for solar energy harvesting. The roof also creates a space around the building exterior where thermal air currents are created. But the Diseño Earle team didn’t stop there, the house also features a rainwater reclamation system, grey water recycling, radiant heating system powered by the solar panels, geothermal energy for back-up cooling and heating, low VOC paints, LED lights, environmentally-sensitive smart glass and abundant natural lighting, and energy and water efficient appliances.

The modern, glass filled design allows plenty of natural light into living spaces, while a natural, saline pool helps keeps chemicals out. The building stores grey water in holding tanks in the basement, and features a rainwater harvesting system to manage and conserve water. The rooftop photovoltaics supply electricity to a radiant floor heating system that works in tandem with the natural ventilation of the building which retains and removes heat by natural thermal draws throughout the structure. A geoexchange system provides backup heating and cooling.

Green Prefabricated Homes By Brio54

Green investment tax credit Renewed by the congress

2008-12-28T11:36:00.002+01:00

Renewable energy businesses are breathing a sigh of relief today as the extension of the production and investment tax credits that benefit their industries were approved by Congress as part of the $700 billion bail-out package for the financial industry.

It renewed and broadened a set of tax credits for wind and solar power, geothermal, tidal energy, and more. The move did little to prop up eco-energy stocks, which have followed oil prices down. But the news did send a positive jolt to one of the economy's darkest sectors: homebuilding. Or, more specifically, solar-powered homes. Consumers recognize that green homes "save money month in, month out," says Rick Andreen, president of Shea Homes Active Lifestyles Communities in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Aspiring buyers of green homes will benefit. The solar investment tax credit provisions will extend for eight years the 30 percent tax credit for both residential and commercial solar installations. A buyer who installs a typical $25,000 solar panel system on his roof will get $7,500 in income tax credits, up from $2,000 under the old standard. How long that investment takes to pay off will depend on local rules and utility rates. In markets with the most costly power, such as California, Connecticut, and New Jersey, the pretax compound rate of return on a typical home solar system will be better than 15% per year, says Andy Black, chief executive of OnGrid Solar, an industry research firm.

The fresh credits may mark a turning point for solar-powered homes. During the housing boom, when mortgages and energy were both cheap, green power was not a hot option; typical home buyers preferred granite countertops to solar panels. But even before the subprime crash, builders began to see rising interest in sun-powered dwellings. Ryness Co., which compiles sales data for homebuilders, found in a recent survey that homes with solar systems were outselling others by as much as 2:1 in 13 California communities.

From ens-newswire.com, businessweek.com

ZERO ENERGY MEDIA WALL

2008-12-27T13:55:00.010+01:00

GreenPix designed by Simone Giostra & Parners and the Arup engineering corporation is a groundbreaking project applying sustainable and digital media technology to the curtain wall of Xicui entertainment complex in Beijing, near the site of the 2008 Olympic Games. Featuring the largest color LED display worldwide and the first photovoltaic system integrated into a glass curtain wall in China, the building performs as a self-sufficient organic system, harvesting solar energy by day and using it to illuminate the screen after dark, mirroring a day’s climatic cycle

The wall’s low-resolution will emphasize the abstracted image of the work that will be shown. This spectacular screen which offers stunning projections will release no carbon into the atmosphere thanks to the sustainable technology, which corresponds directly with China’s political wish to appear ecological.

Schueco and SunWays, Giostra and Arup developed a new technology for laminating photovoltaic cells in a glass curtain wall and oversaw the production of the first glass solar panels by Chinese manufacturer SunTech.

The polycrystalline photovoltaic cells are laminated within the glass of the curtain wall and placed with changing density on the entire building’s skin. The density pattern increases building’s performance, allowing natural light when required by interior program, while reducing heat gain and transforming excessive solar radiation into energy for the media wall. This giant screen of 2,200 m² absorbs energy during the day and generates light from the power during the evening.

"La tour vivante" The vertical farm

Solar cells facade of a Manchester skyscraper

2008-12-24T12:46:00.010+01:00

The facade of this Manchester skyscraper (owned by CIS, an insurance company) was original covered with small mosaic tiles, but after only six months, they began to detach and fall.

A solution was needed, and a company called solarcentury came up with a clever idea replacing the failing tiles with solar cells. Not only do the solar cells provide a weatherproof barrier, they also generate about 390kW of power for the building. In total, 7,244 Sharp 80W modules are used to cover the entire service tower (but apparently only 4898 of these modules are "live" the others are "dummy modules" — strange). The building also has 24 wind turbines on the roof, which provide 10% of the total power used by the building. (from MetaEfficient.com)

There’s even a peregrine falcon nesting box up on top with a camera installed to keep an eye on the birds’ comings and goings – this isn’t just a normal office block, this tower could soon be an ecotourism hotspot!

Masdar Headquarters set a new paradigm

Synthetic slates

2008-12-24T12:31:00.008+01:00

The company Polco developed a slate of synthetic roofing, Polyard®, having same aspect as natural slate while being twice lighter and resisting better to the bad weather. They are obtained by moulding of mix polyurethane / sand. Then, they are covered with an anti-UV film. Raw materials come from abundant resources as sand or renewable quickly as the castor oil used for the polyurethan synthesis. The manufacturing process is little energy-consuming. These slates are recyclable : once crushed, they are added at the raw material to produce new synthetic slates. This allows a less consumption in virgin raw materials.

The apparent face of slates is protected by a coating pigmented slate, hydrophobic, anti UV, and resistant to an aggressive environment : not cleared or tarnished effect, resistance to the hail, not stagnation of water. A polyard® plate contains the equivalent of 6 natural slates.

Polyard® slates benefit of an Atex (technical appreciation of experimentation) of the CSTB (scientific and technical center of building).

high-impact panels made entirely from recycled plastic

Air Conditioning Is Obsolete

Eco wood By Exwood

2008-12-24T10:37:00.002+01:00

Exwood is an eco-friendly material, it looks, feels and has many of the same characteristics as wood. It can be worked in the same ways as wood with the same tools. Exwood is a composite material made from a combination of the waste organic fibre rice husk and PVC plastic.

Exwood is a truly eco positive material. Unlike many other wood alternatives Exwood is made from 50% rice husk as opposed to using wood powder and so has a true grain affect unlike many WPCs (wood plastic composites).

Exwood is a unique SPC (silicon plastic composite), it does not have the 'plastic' looking texture of WPC's but a mat wood like finish which is incredibly similar to natural wood.

In the past there existed two problems for such an eco-friendly wood-alternative; there wasn't any material that shared the same physical characteristics and workability as timber; and it was too expensive to create such a material.

After years of research and analysis, Exwood noted that mixed with rice husk, PVC was the base polymer whose characteristics were closest to the requirements in terms of mechanical properties, resistance to atmospheric agents, workability and most importantly, price.

Exwood can be processed using conventional thermoplastic processes such as extrusion and injection moulding. Presently the technology enables the material to be made with over 50% (by weight) of organic fibre (rice husk) in the composite matrix.

Since the production of Exwood requires no virgin wood resource and does not contain any wood preservative, plus Exwood incorporates recycled plastic from post consumer window frames which would otherwise be sent to land fill, it is an environmentally superior material.

Exwood can negate much of the need for deforestation and requires effectively no maintenance, that is no varnishes, no paints, no thinners - no chemicals.

New wood species by Accoya

Wind Generator by Bil Becker

2008-12-23T18:26:00.005+01:00

Professor Bil Becker worked with Buckminster Fuller and has developed helical turbines which use centrifugal force to efficiently harness the power of the wind.

These compact turbines can be located on top of buildings, or attached to other parts of large structures like bridges.
Reasonably sized and modestly priced, the turbines may be used in urban locations. For many years, a fellow named Bil Becker has been hard at work developing his Aerotecture turbines. The turbines are elegant devices which incorporate both Savonius and Darrieus styles into one turbine.

There is no reason a city with its ample wind and sunshine, couldn’t generate all of its own power, helping people unplug from its addiction to nuclear power.

The advantages of these kinds of turbines are numerous. They are much more bird-friendly than typical bladed wind turbines. The bladed turbines become "invisible" to birds once they reach speeds of about 400 RPMs. At these speeds, the blades blur, and birds cannot see them. Becker's Aerotecture turbines are always visible, even at their highest speeds, which literally cannot exceed about 250 RPMs.

"La tour vivante" The vertical farm

Mill Valley Straw-bale Residence By Arkin - Tilt Architects

2008-10-21T14:56:00.009+02:00

Arkin Tilt Architects is an award-winning firm specializing in energy and resource efficient design. This compact four-bedroom 1860 s.f. passive solar straw-bale home illustrates solutions to ecological living designed by this firm.

Although oriented on a north-south axis to maintain neighbor’s views, the interior temperature of the home stays within 5° of 68°F without additional heating or cooling. The roof is insulated with cellulose (recycled newspaper) insulation and sheathed with ‘Meadowood’ rye-grass straw-board. Straw-bale walls with PISE (sprayed-earth) finish are balanced by fiber-cement clad conventionally framed walls in appropriate locations (i.e. plumbing, bays and the high cupola walls).

A structural wall of exposed framing provides ample storage for books and art while dividing the living and sleeping areas. Bedrooms all feature bed-sized window bays, and two of the children’s bedrooms are separated with movable wall panels, adding further flexibility. Other ecological features include built-in composting and recycling (hatches in the backsplash allow recyclables to be placed in bins which are accessed from the outside), high efficiency lighting, Fire-slate countertops and many reused doors throughout the house.

Straw-bale construction

Eco-Architecture - Second International Conference in Portugal

2008-10-21T13:34:00.006+02:00

The 2nd International Conference on Harmonisation between Architecture and Nature (Eco-Architecture) took place recently in the Algarve, Portugal, organised by the Wessex Institute of Technology of the UK.

Eco-Architecture provides design in harmony with nature, including its immediate environments. Decisions are taken on ecological grounds covering location, siting and orientation, as well as the well-informed choice of materials.

The conference papers were organised in a series of sessions as follows:

* Design with nature
* Design by passive systems
* Rehabilitation and adaptive re-use
* Ecological and cultural sensitivity
* Case studies
* Resource conservation and building technologies

Eco-Architecture makes every effort to minimise the use of energy at each stage of the building’s life cycle, including that embodied in the extraction and transportation of materials, their fabrication, their assembly into the building and ultimately the ease and value of their recycling when the building’s life is over. The design ought also to take into account the use of energy in building maintenance and changes in its use, not to mention its lighting, heating and cooling, particularly when the energy concerned involves the emission of greenhouse gases.

The development of eco-architecture is driven by the depletion of natural resources, especially fossil fuels and the need to preserve the balance of nature. The extensive use of steel and glass and the built-in problems of discomfort from solar over-heating and winter heat loss, has led to the widespread use of mechanical systems, which by careful design, could have been avoided in almost any climate.

this Conference on Harmonisation Between Architecture and Nature ought to be in harmony with nature, including its immediate environs. Eco-Architecture is providing imaginative and expressive solutions driven by a generation of highly creative designs. It has important cultural as well as architectural impacts. Picture (Arkin Tilt Architects)

Book from the conference

Masdar Headquarters set a new paradigm

2008-06-23T17:03:00.005+02:00

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture has won an international competition to design the Masdar Headquarters, the first building in the zero waste, zero carbon emission Masdar City outside of Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates. The Masdar Headquarters will be the first mixed-use positive energy building in the world. AS+GG worked with MEP engineers Environmental Systems Design and structural engineers Thornton Tomasetti on the design.

The roof is entirely covered by 1,4 million square feet (=130000 m2) solar panels. the roof covering a building is absolutely gigantic. The building will also have integrated wind turbines, solar-driven cooling and de-humidification will consumpt 70% less water than other building of its size. They decided to make the building process as green as possible by building the solar roof first - that way it alone will produce enough energy to power the rest of the construction. It’s very encouraging to see progress like this in the sustainable building field.

"Masdar Headquarters will set a new paradigm for the way buildings are designed, constructed and inhabited," said Gordon Gill, partner, AS+GG. "The project represents the perfect integration of architecture and engineering, resulting in a dynamic, inviting building that outperforms any other structure of its type in the world.". The building will cost over $300 million.

Orquideorama the trees growing together

2008-06-23T16:11:00.004+02:00

The town of Medellin, Colombia, got another architectural addition. An amazing botanical garden with a superstructure called Orquideorama. This steel and wood structure in an hexagonal shape extends through its organic shape. The renovation was done by Plan B architects and the idea was to make a structure that looks like trees growing together at the branches. A stunning study on structure and scale, the project unites the micro and macro worlds through an elegant synthesis of cellular and architectural forms. The plants situated beneath each trunk are sustained via rainwater collected by the petals, and are protected from the elements by the translucent pine wood weave that is sourced from reforested lands.

The project serves as a showroom, concert area and an exposition area. So beautiful.

Green Prefabricated Homes By Brio54

2008-06-23T14:58:00.002+02:00

The H1 home by a young, design-driven development firm providing unique homes for a green, modern lifestyle. The aim of brio54 is to offer a prefabricated passive family house, functional, inspiring and affordable. The company plans on including environmentally friendly features, such as whole house allergen filtration, low VOC materials, on-demand water heating, dual-flush toilets, Energy Star HVAC and appliances, natural wood and stone flooring, 3Form countertops, and passive energy design.

They're also investigating the use of geothermal, photovoltaic, solar heating, graywater recovery, and rainwater harvesting systems, all of which can be implemented as an upgrade to the standard designs.

The H1 is a single-family 4-bedroom home designed for 1 to 2 acre down-sloping suburban lots with a min. building envelope of 42 x 72 feet.The size is 2542 Square Feet (236 m²).

Walking on the water

2008-02-25T22:04:00.004+01:00

What must have a boat house? There must be a boat, it should be a home to care for their environment, it has to be built with materials very different from the usual, and it must seem like a home.

Staffan Strindberg initiated the project for a specific customer but without a specific place, so he had to shape an imaginary place to start.

Through an expression of modern design and form, Villa Näckros has been developed to offer comfortable, exclusive water side living close to nature.

A residence with leading words as; sustainability, low maintenance, development of materials and building, care for the environment, low energy costs, identity.

Näckros Villa sits securely and stably in the water with its 165 ton constructed weight and is impervious to wind.

A Näckros Villa is constructed with material recycling potential as a starting point. New techniques and carefully chosen materials have resulted in a house that is extremely comfortable to live in and is in many parts recyclable.

Heating is provided by a pump, which draws heat from the surrounding water. Heat is distributed through the house through water bearing under floor heating. Two-way air ventilation can be found throughout the house. As far as possible, the house has been designed to meet demands in respect of both energy and environment.

A comfortable living and a lay-out that gives you the optimal feeling of the closeness to the water.

area : 178 sqm of living area, 30 sqm terrace close to the water and a 100sqm "garden" on the roof.

Achitect : Staffan Strindberg

Sailing Places in Emsworth (UK)

2008-02-25T17:20:00.006+01:00

Have you ever seen this building before ?

Probably not, in fact it is my project in the first semester (I'm in my third year of BA architecture). I use Kerkythea for the rendering which is very good and free. You have some comment ? Great...

MY Project 05 -the HIDE - How can we see beyond the surface of forms
MY Project 06 -the GALLERY

The boulders house.

2008-02-23T23:50:00.005+01:00

The two-story house, of minimal 9-meter cubic proportions, was designed to be a habitable sculpture. Titus Bernhard, the architect used some 365 steel baskets, weighing 28 tones of dolomite stones. The entire house giving it a solid, medieval look. The steel and stone structure is placed in front of the brick shell insulation. The entire shell of the building is built under the steel baskets and is designed to act as a water-bearing layer.

The 28 tons of boulders have formed a kind of ecological shell for the building, buffering the heat in summer and the cold in winter. This way the consumption of energy is reduced to a minimum.

Architect : Titus Bernhard
Location : outside Augsburg, Germany

Frank Lloyd Wright boathouse in Buffalo

A clearing in the woods with house

2008-02-21T01:38:00.009+01:00

This private home is situated in a small clearing in the woods of non-uniform dimensions obliged the layout to adapt to the scant space left free. The resulting design is a three-piece residence with a single, open great room that links a master bedroom and guest wing, which con be closed off in winter. The main section combines living, dining and kitchen space in a light, airy, modern moom that is tempered by warm woods. Interior elliptical columns and large sliding doors and windows allow walls to disappear and occupants to connect to the wooded landscape and ocean
beyond. Terraces and a roof deck further heighten the experience of the outdoors.

Architect : charles Rose Architects
USA -2001

Comfortable and sustainable house in Brazil

2008-02-21T00:47:00.005+01:00

This comfortable and sustainable house Located 40 kilometers from São Paulo, was designed by Mauro Munhoz. this summer house occupies two lots and is characterized by the division into two buildings perpendicular. the structure od the house, totally of coumarou wood with environmental certification, was cut and prepared in worlshops and assembled at the site with great speed. Features of the project design such as passive ventilation, natural light, taking advantage of the hot sun, the shade provided by porches and breezeways, improve the energy efficiency of the house.

The project leads to the extreme the idea that the house of summer is different from urban address.The ground arround led to the creation of open spaces and the use of materials such as stone and wood.

The design was born of the relationship between the topography and volume built.

Besides the division into levels, the house has two well-defined blocks - connected by the stairway -, which separates the guests from the rest of the house. The idea is not isolate the family, but in the absence of visitors only the main wing will be use.

Area built: 626 m2
Architect : Mauro Munhoz

Architecture and sustainability

"La tour vivante" The vertical farm

2008-02-20T23:29:00.006+01:00

Would you have ever thought it conceivable to grow vast amounts of produce in the heart of densely populated cities ?

The concept of eco-tower "Tour Vivante" aim is to associate agricultural hydroponic production, dwelling and activities in a single and vertical system.

A continuous agriculture, emancipated from seasons and climatic hazards (drought, flood, weather), which provides a production 5 to 6 time better than open fields cultures.

Tour Vivante allows a local production and to wipe out transportation needed for food supply and thus, the process of the very energy-consuming preservation.

The hydroponic agricultural production purifies the districts air by the provision of plants oxygen.
An efficient use of salvaged rainwater is transformed into drinking water by the evaporation/respiration of plants.
Tour Vivante generates a large amount of methane or electricity by the fermentation of food waste and vegetals.

Located at the top of the tower, two large windmill directed towards the dominant winds produce electricity facilitated by the height of the tower. The produced electric power is about 200 to 600 kWh per annum.

4 500 m of photovoltaic panels included into the facades generate electricity from solar energy.

This tower will have as well : Rainwater and Black water systems, Ecological or recycled materials and Thermal and hygrometrical regulation.

Vertical farming could revolutionize the way we produce food. This new model could replace, traditional farming methods. This is one idea where the sky is truly the limit.

Anti Smog the new sustainable development by Vincent Callebaut

2008-02-03T12:25:00.000+01:00

Architect Vincent Callebaut ’s latest project balances public galleries, meeting rooms and gathering spaces over canals and abandoned railroad tracks in the 19th Parisian district. The prototype uses green technologies and techniques but is more than just an example of sustainable design.

Looking somewhat like an energy saving light bulb and a mouldy spaceship, the organically designed scheme has two components namely a tower and a pod like structure which looks like it has docked on the railway bridge spanning the canal.

The pod which will be known as the Solar Drop will have a 250 square metre photovoltaic blue roof which will capture the sun and convert it into energy for the pod, the main body of the pod is made up of polyester fibres which is strengthened along its main profiles with steel banding. The whole structure is then covered in titanium dioxide which reacts with ultra violet light to reduce pollution.

As an auto cleaning building it will also be able to absorb and recycle by means of photo catalytic technology the smog cloud generated by the huge amounts of traffic on the near by Parisian belt, hence the name Antismog - clever eh?

Other technologies allow the pod to be totally energy sufficient while two planted arches over the roof of the pod will collect rainwater which will service the needs of the of the exhibition, meeting and café space within the pod which are arranged around a plant purified lagoon.

The tower will reach 45 metres in height and is a wind tower. The core of the tower will be covered in digital screens which will constantly beam the news out whilst other panels will be tactile in nature. A ribbon like banister unfurls itself down the length of the tower the main body of which is moves in accordance with the direction of the dominant wind.

A second polyester fibre structure will be covered with greenery and punctuated with slits which hold the wind turbines. At the top of the tower a suspended public garden will offer spectacular views of Paris.

As a prototype in environmental building and technologies the project could lead the way forward for future sustainable building worldwide but only if it gets approval, which for now remains to be seen

Anti-Smog is thus a didactic prototype of ecological experimentations. Solar Drop and Wind Tower implement the most advanced technologies in the auto-sufficient construction to better reveal the applications of the contemporary society. Its energetic results are positive and enable to assure not only the functioning of the centre but also the nocturnal lighting of the banks of the second Bassin de la Villette. Moreover, this project aims at reducing the atmospheric pollution of the area by capturing the CO2 and thus improves the quality of the air. It is a play project, an urban and truly live graft. In osmosis with its surroundings, it is an architecture that interacts completely with its context that is climatic, chemical, kinetic or social to better reduce our ecological print in urban area!

ZeroHouse 100% autonomous

2007-12-17T20:54:00.000+01:00

Do you know a House which designed to operate autonomously and generates its own electrical power ? Let me introduce you to ZeroHouse.

ZeroHouse is a 650-square-foot prefabricated house designed to operate autonomously, with no need for utilities or waste connections. It generates its own electrical power from the high-efficiency solar panels and then stores it in a battery backup. Once completely charged, the home can run efficiently for a week without a hint of sunlight. It collects and stores rainwater, and processes all waste.

ZeroHouse also collects water into a 2,700 gallon cistern, which then distributes it by the force of gravity as needed to other parts of the home. The house, fully air-conditioned and heated, is configured to comfortably support four adults with two bedrooms, a full bathroom, a kitchen/dining room, and a living room. In addition, two elevated exterior terraces and an outdoor shower extend the living spaces.

Conceived by architect Scott Specht, AIA, of Specht Harpman, zeroHouse can be used in remote or ecologically sensitive locations. It can be installed in places unsuitable for standard construction, including in water up to 10-feet deep or on slopes of up to 35 degrees. ZeroHouse employs a helical-anchor foundation system that touches the ground at only four points and disturbs the ground to a minimal degree. The tubular steel frame can withstand winds of up to 140 mph, and the living modules feature flexible attachment points to the frame to allow for deflection and movement without damage.

The design and engineering work on the project was funded by a venture capital group with the intent of creating a start-up company to produce and market zeroHouse. Initial studies indicate that zeroHouse will sell for approximately $350,000.

Pretty incredible little House!

MKSolaire, eco-friendly inside and out house

Hybrid Energy Homes

Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe : Modeled After Termite Mounds

2007-12-15T17:32:00.000+01:00

Designed by the architect Mick Pearce in conjunction with engineers at Arup Associates, Eastgate Building in Harare, Zimbabwe, is just one example of sustainable architecture that uses dramatically less energy by copying the successful strategies of indigenous natural systems. The building - the country's largest commercial and shopping complex - uses the same heating and cooling principles as a local termite mound.

That's no mean feat. Termite mounds are marvels of engineering. Deep inside, the insects farm a fungus, their only food. It must be kept at exactly 87 degrees, while the temperatures on the African veld outside range from 35 degrees at night to 104 degrees during the day.

They do it by venting breezes in at the base of the mound, down into chambers cooled by wet mud carried up from water tables far below, and up through a flue to the peak. Toiling with the tireless, compulsive work ethic of all ants, they constantly dig new vents and plug old ones to regulate the temperature.

Temperature regulation is a struggle familiar to any architect. Mick Pearce of the Pearce Partnership was given a challenge by Old Mutual, an insurance and real estate conglomerate: build an office block that would be livable with no air-conditioning and almost no heating.

This is a terrific example of sustainable architecture that is biomimetic, indigenous, and economically viable on its face. Yet the Eastgate story also demonstrates an important aspect of the sustainability/biomimicry trend - that incrementally greater value may be found by studying solutions from those niches (ecological and economic) where resources are more constrained than the ones you inhabit. Don't study the oasis - study the desert.
Termite Mounds Inspire Design of Zimbabwe Office Complex.

The complex is actually two buildings linked by bridges across a shady, glass-roofed atrium open to the breezes.

To keep the harsh highveld sun from heating the interior, no more than 25 percent of the outside is glass, and all the windows are screened by an unusual form of sunshade: racks of cement arches that jut out more than a yard.

Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents. As it rises and warms, it is drawn out through ceiling vents. Finally, it exits through 48 round brick chimneys.

During summer's cool nights, big fans flush air through the building seven times an hour to chill the hollow floors. By day, smaller fans blow two changes of air an hour through the building, taking advantage of what Pearce calls "the coolth in the slab." For winter days, there are small heaters in the vents.

- The Eastgate's owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air-conditioning plant didn't have to be imported
- The building uses less than 10 percent of the energy of a conventional building its size.

Biomimicry - Why used in Architecture?

Hybrid Energy Homes

A Gold Rating for city of Santa Clarita's Transit Maintenance Facility

2007-12-05T11:25:00.001+01:00

The city of Santa Clarita's Transit Maintenance Facility has received a gold rating from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

The facility, intended to be LEED-certified since its planning began in 1999, is a state-of-the-art "green" building, which enables the city to house, maintain and clean its fleet of buses, saving the city more than $1 million annually.

The Transit Maintenance Facility features a 22,000-square-foot administrative and operations office building, a maintenance building with seven maintenance bays, an automated bus wash and chassis wash, a diesel fueling station, a compressed natural gas fueling station for public and transit use, and parking for 110 buses plus 163 automobile parking spaces.

This is Santa Clarita's first LEED-certified project and is a demonstration of the city's commitment to greener development and responsible public policy.

The City of Santa Clarita’s facility is intended to be a high-quality project that is environmentally sensitive, by using state-of-the-art energy efficiency and sustainable building methods. It is the City’s intent to, at a minimum, attain a “Certified” project status as defined in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System by the US Green Building Council.

To aid in LEED certification of the project, a few of the features incorporated into the design of the facility are as follows:

* Straw bale insulated exterior walls for the administration building
* Optimize energy performance by providing under-floor HVAC system through a raised-floor plenum in the administration building.
* Daylighting for both the administration and maintenance buildings
* Recycled building materials, e.g., carpeting, timber, concrete, steel, tile, and vinyl.
* Water efficient landscaping
* Stormwater management

Energy Advantages

"Straw-bale construction may be a rediscovered technology," says HOK's senior project manager Charles Smith, "but it is appropriate and sustainable by today's standards. When combined with more recent technologies such as under-floor air distribution, high-performance glazing, and daylighting — as it is in this project — it can be part of a powerful strategy for creating an energy- and resource-efficient building. We were able to exceed California Energy Efficiency Standards by over 40 percent."

The HVAC system is an efficient water-source heat pump. Chilled water is generated by an on-site cooling tower. Under-floor air delivery eliminates the need for overhead ducts, leaving the ceiling unobstructed for better daylight reflection. The raised-floor system uses concrete-filled metal pans, which are left exposed to eliminate the need for carpet or other floor coverings in most spaces.

The desert climate, with large diurnal temperature swings, is ideal for cooling by nighttime ventilation. Cool night air is brought into the administration building where it chills the interior surfaces' thermal mass, preconditioning the space for the following day. The HVAC system is designed to condition space only 7 feet (2.1 meters) above the floor. Each occupant can control the airflow and temperature of his or her work area.

The building also incorporates high-performance glazing and a well-insulated roof. Combined with the thick straw-bale walls, these create a super-insulated envelope that moderates temperature fluctuations and protects the indoor environment from the hot, dry daytime conditions.

The relatively narrow floor plates — no more than 60 feet (18 meters) deep — mean that all spaces have access to daylight and views. Deep roof overhangs shade the glazing while protecting the perimeter of the straw bale walls from direct water infiltration. The daylighting strategy reduces reliance on electric lighting and the associated heat loads. Skylights over the interior corridors and lobby limit the amount of electric light required in those areas.

A solar canopy bus shade structure, consisting of a 129.6 KW-DC photovoltaic system, provides on-site renewable energy that meets 45 percent of the facility's annual energy demand.

Straw-bale construction

ArchiEnvironmental

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